How CATERER TO THE MOB came to be

My fascination with organized crime started when my father rented a VHS tape of The Godfather in the early '90s. I was 15 or 16, maybe younger. I didn't watch it then. What I knew about The Godfather, I learned from my father through his impassioned storytelling. I was convinced that I could sit through the entire length of the movie without having my head explode in boredom. I watched the movie before I turned 18. I was glad I did. To this day, it sits on the sweet top spot of my all time best films list.  I read the book when I was old enough to understand difficult words, but I still had the dictionary on standby (a physical one; no smartphones back then). I was 21.

Then of course, there was the Godfather 2, 3, Goodfellas, Casino, Donnie Brasco, and The Sopranos.  At this point, it is clear that I am a mobster movie/story junkie. But I didn't think it would figure in my writing in a meaningful way. So when somebody asked me what my philosophy was in writing my book "Caterer to the Mob", I didn't know what to say. Should there be one, given that my book is within the Chick Lit genre, which is usually considered "light reading" or "light entertainment" (whatever that means!).

Then I remembered Mario Puzo's epigraph on the page before Chapter 1.

Behind every great fortune there is a crime - BALZAC

This summed up the mob and the lifestyle that go with it. I'm not certain if it would pass as philosophy in writing a book. Between this and "I'll give him an offer he can't refuse", I'd take the latter any day.

Truth be told, the very early draft of  Caterer to the Mob was  not even about a caterer, and certainly not about the mob. Strange things do happen when writing in a trance (or under the influence, tee-hee). So I really do not think or worry about what philosophy I should take while writing a book. To me, it's about amalgamating the things that interest me at the moment and hoping the result would be coherent (hah!). At this point, I write about what I would enjoy reading even if I'm up to my neck in office work. When I am finally comfortable with writing, I can perhaps start to think of writing books that would actually sell in droves [yes I'm talking about you, you vampire-dystopian-wizardry-erotica-romance genre].

Oh, you can follow my 140-word ramblings on Twitter @cjsumner8.

Meet the BIG CANNOLI

The Big Cannoli is Don Carlo Vito, the 40-something head of the Vito 'Crime' Family on the East Coast. He is Pierce Brosnan with an Italian accent. His good looks belie the fact that he is a ruthless mob boss who has maimed and killed men who went against his wishes.  The FBI gave him the code name Big Cannoli because of his addiction to the Italian dessert. But apart from that, the FBI suspects that the lone bakery that sells the popular pastry in the Italian district of the city is being used as a front for organized crime activities.

Read more about the Big Cannoli by downloading the Kindle eBook Caterer to the Mob at Amazon.com. [Also Available in Amazon UK, Canada, Australia, Japan...anywhere there is an Amazon page, actually.]

Caterer to the Mob Book Trailer

 
Here's a book trailer that captures the action, suspense, and drama of my novella, Caterer to the Mob.

The book is still 0.99 in Amazon US and 0.77 pence in Amazon UK. It's cheaper than cannoli and less fattening!

Don't Understand Kindle Unlimited? Read this!

Michael Sullivan via Digital World Book explains how Kindle Unlimited works. He pretty much revealed (and perhaps confirmed) what many self-published authors fear about. 

Read on:

Kindle Unlimited’s Two-Tier System Makes Some Authors Second-Class Citizens


Well, on a related matter, Caterer to the Mob participates in Kindle Unlimited. (I didn't know it automatically enrolls you through Kindle Select program).

The upside of it all is that I have been getting a pretty decent number of downloads (both regular and KU), which was doing a lot of good to my sales ranking. Still, it does not always translate to fat cash. Just a bit of bragging right. I'm still on a wait and see kind of approach to Kindle Unlimited. Too early to tell if it's good or bad or DOOM!

Kindle Short Reads: How fast can you read?

My book, Caterer to the Mob, had a mini bump in sales in the past couple of weeks despite little to no promotion on my part. It was quite a wonderful surprise. Perhaps the marketing efforts in April-May may have only been translating to sales just now. I really have no way of knowing.

Then I read about Amazon Kindle Short Reads category. I believe it was introduced in March, but it was only recently that my book was listed under this category.

Specifically:

Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > Romance

 

 

It's rather an odd categorization since the books are classified based on reading time, which varies. I'm not sure if readers base their book purchase on the time it takes for them to finish the book, but this is something that's worth exploring.

I'd like to think that with these new categories, authors who write novellas, poems, and short stories can gain more exposure.

What do you think?

Caterer to the Mob: The Story

When Portia Jean Adler agreed to help her business partner pay off a gambling debt, she found herself caught in the middle of a mob war, an FBI-instigated mob shakedown, and a re-ignited romance.

Portia’s best friend and business partner, George Reid, was negotiating for his life when he was unable to pay a huge gambling debt to Mafia Boss Don Carlo Vito, known as the ‘Big Cannoli’ on the East Coast. He got the reprieve he wanted but on the condition that he and Portia cater the wedding of Don Carlo’s daughter – gratis! George knew that this would not sit well with Portia given that their business has yet to earn a profit.

Being a huge fan of mafia movies, Portia knew how the mob works and feared for George’s life. She agreed to the deal just to get George off the hook. It was supposed to be a quick ‘get out of trouble’ gig, but when Portia unwittingly agreed to cook for a Mafia Family sit-down (meeting) weeks prior to the wedding, she witnessed a bloodbath that consequently fueled an unfortunate chain of events that got her up close and personal with the mob and reunited her with her ex, Ben Marteli.  This got the attention of the FBI, marking her as a person of interest and a possible witness  against the mob.

Portia was trapped between a rock and a hard place and her only way out is to take sides – but either side has its unfavorable consequence that could cost her her life.

"CATERER TO THE MOB" IS AVAILABLE IN AMAZON.

Here's a 99-cent offer you can't refuse: CATERER TO THE MOB

 Available at Amazon. Click here.

 
Over 6 months in Amazon and the reviews are just starting to trickle in.

5★ “Romantic, Suspenseful, Witty, Thrilling and all out cliffhanger that takes you deep in the heart of the Italian Mob.”

5★ Caterer to the mob is a mix of witty humor, romance, and mystery, all in this difficult to put down book 

5★ “The book is well written and well thought specially the characters”

5★ “Overall – a very fine effort by the writer C.J.Sumner, and I look forward to more from her.”

4★ “The main character, Portia, reminds me a bit of Stephanie Plum and is a worthy heroine”.

5★ “It’s a fun plot with some of the most snappy and hilarious dialogue I’ve read recently.”

Get your copy at Amazon.